Epilogue
“Okay! Now!” I called.
Twilight, Rarity, and I all used our magic on rocks to cover the cave entrance. This way Thal’lan’s body would never be disturbed again. Also it would probably discourage dragons from taking roost here. Here’s hoping it’ll stay this way.
Twilight and I high hoofed at our work and we turned to find Rarity with Spike. Spike was talking to her. “It’s only for a couple of days, I gotta head back to where the dragons migrated.”
“Whatever for Spikey Wikey?” The white unicorn asked in turn.
Spike raised his claw and Peewee came to rest on it. “Just, I feel that Peewee should be with his real parents. While they are still alive, you should spend as much time with them as you can.
Twilight walked over to him with a smile. “That’s very mature of you Spike. You’re growing up so much.” She hugged Spike tightly.
“Mom cut it out!” Spike said, and then blinked.
Twilight gave Spike a look, and then just hugged him all the more. Rarity stood by me and looked over. “They really are close, aren’t they?”
“Family isn’t just bound by blood or species,” I said sagely. “Love is what brings a family together.”
“I’m sure you’re hoping that Spike gets to call you dad,” Rarity said with a mischievous smile.
I blushed brightly and tried to change the subject. “How’s the wound?”
Rarity ran a hoof on her bandaged chest. “It stings a little, but I’ll be fine darling, I’ve been through far worse. Although I will admit it will be hard to explain to Lotus and Aloe at my next appointment.”
I smiled and then looked as Twilight and Spike walked over to me. Spike looked down, then back up at me. “I owe you a big apology Private, I didn’t mean to say all those things.”
“You already apologized to me and Twilight,” I said, gently putting my hoof on Spike’s shoulder. “You don’t need to do it again.”
“I know, but...” Spike scuffed his foot on the ground. “I just, would you come with me? To take Peewee home?”
I blinked at this offer, and then looked at Twilight. She smiled and said, “I think it would be a good thing for you two to spend time together. Also I trust you to look after him should anything dangerous occur.”
I smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll walk with you.”
Spike looked to Rarity. “I’m sorry to be leaving so soon, but…”
Rarity shook her head. “It’s alright Spikey Wikey, I will wait as long as it takes to see you again.” She then bent her head down and kissed him on the cheek.
Spike blushed as Twilight and I laughed. I then looked at Twilight. “Twi, um, if it’s not too much to ask could you watch Tailspin?”
Twilight blinked. “Me? But isn’t Sparkler supposed to be his foal sitter?”
I smiled. “I look after yours, you look after mine”
Twilight blushed, obviously feeling the weight of what I’m asking her. But she slowly smiled and said, “That’s fair, besides, it would be nice to get to know your little brother some more.”
“For now,” I said, looking at everypony, “Let’s go home.”
___________________________________________________________
Spike and I took a riverboat down towards the dragon lands. Cranky was giving me the oddest looks as he led us. I’m thinking he may have some memories from our encounter via time travel. Oh well, at least it didn’t cause the universe to explode. Just gave the old donkey a headache.
Spike and I eventually made it to a forest near the badlands. Spike and I spent most of the trip talking about anything Spike had questions about. Well, that I could answer being a pony and all.
Eventually, we got to this point in our conversation.
“Private?”
“Yeah Spike?” I answered as we walked in the forest.
“Do you think Rarity and I will really be able to stay together?” He asked, looking up at me. “After all, I’ll outlive her eventually. I’m not even a full grown dragon yet.”
“Spike, don’t you remember what your dad said?” I asked. “It’s not how long you have with someone that counts. It’s what you do in that time that matters.”
“Well said Private Eye,” I heard a deep voice speak up.
Spike and I looked up in a nearby tree to see Voidera looking down at us. I blinked at the sight of the Dracorn. His red eyes showed a bit of merriment at our expressions. I then spoke up, “Were you following us?”
“Actually I was just in the neighbourhood.” Voidera flew gently down and stood in front of us. “Philomena is about to select a mate and I wanted to be here for her.”
“This is a Phoenix breeding ground?” Spike asked, looking at Peewee who hid behind Spike at the sight of Voidera.
“Indeed,” the Dracorn nodded. He then looked at Peewee and raised one of his white shoed black hooves. He then made a strange sound with his mouth that resembled a bird’s call. Peewee then hopped from behind Spike and onto the leg.
“How did you do that?” I asked, staring at the Dracorn.
“Philomena was originally my pet,” he explained. “I learned to imitate her calls when I was very young. A fine specimen you have here.” Voidera gently rubbed the little phoenix with his other hoof. Peewee chirped happily.
“We’re taking him back to his parents,” Spike explained.
“A noble endeavour,” Voidera complimented. “I recognize his plumage; I think I know where to take him.” He then reached with his hoof to allow Peewee to hover back on Spike’s shoulder.
I walked beside the Dracorn. “You certainly know a lot about phoenixes.”
Voidera smiled as Spike hopped on my back to ride. “They were my companions when I was in the tower. A family decided to make a nest there and I observed them. They are truly fascinating creatures, their songs are said to inspire heroes to perform to the best of their ability. Their mate hoods have been known to last centuries as well. So many wondrous things about these birds I could spend a lifetime explaining.”
I pondered the Dracorn for a bit. I knew very little about him, to see an Alicorn take interest in something as small as animal life just seemed, strange. Until the summit I thought of their kind as everypony else did, as pure beings of great power. But, they seemed normal just like the rest of us.
“We are here.” Voidera stopped and pointed at a nearby nest. A phoenix couple was sitting in a tree. Their nest filled with newly hatched eggs.
“That’s them?” I asked Spike.
He nodded. “Yeah, I remember them from when I came here during the dragon migration.”
Spike then hopped off my back and looked at Peewee. “Now go on buddy, go meet your parents.”
Peewee gave a sorrow filled song and nuzzled Spike.
“It’s okay I’ll be fine Peewee, you can’t stay with me forever. You gotta go with your parents,” Spike said earnestly, obviously feeling sorrow himself for parting with a friend.
Peewee just nuzzled Spike all the more, desperate to change his mind.
Spike took Peewee on his claw and looked at the baby phoenix. “I know it’s hard Peewee, but we’ll meet again one day I know it. For now, you deserve to grow up with the parents that miss you terribly. Now go on.”
Peewee gave Spike a long look, then slowly hovered towards the nest. The two phoenixes looked at the little bird. Peewee gave a long song of chirping and whistling. The parents gave songs of joy and gently helped Peewee into the nest. The nuzzled the chick and Peewee gave chirps of joy at being reunited with his family.
Spike looked down and I put a hoof on his shoulder. “It couldn’t have been an easy thing Spike. But you know this is for the best.”
“I know, but I’m happy for Peewee.” He looked at me “He gets to be with his family, his real family. Something I never had.”
Voidera studied Spike for a moment then said, “You are wise for one so young.” The Dracorn then smiled. “Do not worry little one, a phoenix never forgets an act of kindness.” He walked to Spike and put a hoof on his other shoulder. “Peewee will remember you, and your friendship will last all eternity.”
“You really think so?” Spike asked smiling.
“When you get to be as old as I am,” Voidera smirked a little. “You tend to pick up on things.”
“Hey um,” Spike looked at us. “Can I just have a minute?”
“Sure Spike” I smiled and Voidera and I walked away. I looked up at the Dracorn after we were in private and said, “You knew I’d need to fight dragons one day, didn’t you?”
Voidera looked at me and said, “I trust your weapon aided you in the fight?”
“Yeah, but you didn’t answer my question,” I pressed, not willing to dance around the issue.
Voidera slowly nodded. “Yes, I modified the sword into one that would be strong against dragons. That is the power of Alchemy.”
“But how did you know?” I asked slowly.
“Call it a hunch,” Voidera said firmly. “I believed that in your line of work eventually you’d need something to fight more powerful foes. Bullets can only deal with so many problems.”
“You know more than you are letting on.” I studied the black Dracorn for a minute. “Just what are you preparing me for?”
Voidera was quiet for a long moment. His red eyes just gazed at me for a minute. Then, he finally said, “What I am preparing you for, I cannot say. If I were to tell you, it would give the enemy an advantage by seeing you act differently. All I will say Private Eye, is that you must not forsake your love. No matter how much…things change.”
With that he spread his wings and took off into the air. That no good half dragon jerk! He’s just going to leave me hanging like this! As if I’d forsake Twilight for anything!
But what did he mean by things changing?
I looked back at Spike and saw him look at me. “You okay Private? Where’d Voidera go?”
“He had some business to attend to,” I half lied. “You okay Spike?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. Peewee’s happy and we can head home.”
I smiled a little at Spike and said, “It’s okay Spike, you don’t have to pretend not to care.”
Spike sighed. “I am going to miss the little guy though. He was a good pal to have whenever Twilight was pulling all-nighters.”
I rubbed Spike on the head smiling. “Don’t worry pal, so long as you remember, our friends are never truly gone when they leave us. So long as we remember them in our minds,” I tapped his head. “And in our hearts.” I tapped his chest with a hoof. “They are never truly gone.”
“Thanks Private,” Spike smiled and hugged me. I gently hugged the little guy back before I saw something shiny in his backpack.
“Pack a gem for the road Spike?” I asked.
“Actually, I’ve been working on this for a while.” Spike reached into his backpack and pulled out a small ring…
“Spike is that…” I said, my mouth agape.
“I wanted to do something for you and Twilight,” he explained. “That was originally why I went looking for you the night before this case started. I got so caught up in everything I forgot to give it to you.”
He lifted my hoof with his claw and set the ring in it. “I know you wanted to marry Twilight for a while. I figured, this would at least help seal the deal.”
I regarded the ring. It was a gold band with a diamond at the top. A pair of amethyst gems was encircling the diamond and they resembled two dragons chasing each other. “This is amazing Spike, you made this yourself?”
“Well I had a little help from Rarity,” Spike admitted. “Along with some gems from Pinkie’s rock farm. But, the actual carving was all me.”
“Spike…” I just shook my head. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Just that you promise to look after Twilight,” Spike said. “Sooner or later I’m gonna have to leave the library. She needs a great guy like you to take care of her. I know you two love each other, I’d like to have…both parents.”
I smiled and hugged Spike again. “Thanks pal, I promise that as soon as everything else is taken care of, I’ll get down and propose.”
“Thanks Private,” Spike said, hugging me tightly.
I looked at the ring for a while, just taking in the fact I held it in my hoof. This would make Twilight mine should she accept it. We’d be husband and wife…
There was no doubt in my mind I loved Twilight. No doubt now I wanted to marry her. Nothing was ever going to change that!
____________________________________________________________
Perspective: Lunard
I moved throughout the dark forest towards where the crash happened. I could practically smell the taint in this forest. I thought with Sombra gone most of the accursed dark magic would vanish. But no, it seems my dear Celestia has been lax in her rule. Some things never change it seems.
I walked to the crash site to find a large but wounded black dragon standing there. Her scales had suffered a lot of damage and she’s lost a lot of blood. She glared at me as I approached. “Not more ponies! Not more insolent rats with hooves trying to destroy our kind!”
“You are Shar’drel,” I said coldly. “I must say, you seem to have suffered a terrible ordeal.”
“Don’t throw pity at me you insect!” Shar’drel growled. “I don’t know who you are, or where you came from. But I know I will not have my pride destroyed by you!”
“It seems your pride is all you ever held dear,” I said with a neutral expression on my face. “Now it seems to be gone…” I then sniffed. “You’ve been touched by Tenacity’s power too…”
“It was those bloody unicorns!” She roared. “They stole the brat from me and nearly killed me! I was lucky that I landed in the trees here to soften the fall!”
“I never rely on luck,” I said, my horn glowing.
“What do you plan to do pony?” She growled. “Kill me here?”
“No, not kill you here…not yet” I said, suddenly the dragon was lifted into the air. “But, I do plan on extracting what you learned…also any information you have on constructs…”
“No!” she writhed and twisted in my magic. Such desperation, seems that Voidera is not so different from these beasts after all. “I will not bow to an insolent dog!”
“I am no dog, dragon,” I said, using my magic to pour into her brain. Images of what happened came into my mind. I saw three ponies. One of them was a grey which resembled Sombra in some ways…strange. The other was a white unicorn, hardly any magical ability if these images are to be believed.
The last…the lavender one…
Hold on, she is a descendent from Izanami. The physical similarities were striking. Same cutie mark, similar mane and the fact she was a unicorn this had to be her. So, this is what you’ve been working on my dear daughter. Preparing a mongrel to ascend?
Such a thing is a heinous crime.
No mongrel is to become a true Alicorn!
Such a thing is impossible! Disgusting!
No being of taint can have the purity of an Alicorn!
None!
I set down the dragon, her mouth drooling as the mine dive’s side effects took hold. She’d be little more than a vegetable. Her memories and knowledge are all in me…but…her body can still be useful….
I summoned a long blade of sapphire colour. My blade Moonsunder is still here. It has slain countless foes in it’s lifetime. Now…it shall put down a dog…
I plunged the blade into the dragon’s heart. Shar’drel screamed for a minute before falling down to the ground defeated.
Hardly worthy of Moonsunder, but it was a quick death, necessary.
Now….
Let us see what we can do with her…
As for the mongrel…she will be useful…
We will work through her…
To bring about a true age.
An age where no mongrel will exist
A new age of the Alicorns
It shall begin…
With the final judgment of Prometheus…